Chapter 170

Chapter 170 Si Zhaohua nodded and began, “I woke up in a refined bedroom. A woman at the door called me to a banquet. Not knowing the situation, I played along and came to the manor.” Su Bei was already annoyed. Why was he a beggar while Si Zhaohua remained a noble? Damn this comic world! Si Zhaohua continued, “Seeing the manor, I guessed this was the Different Space’s past. So, I went to the library to find that black book and ran into Lan Subing, a maid.” Lan Subing nodded, confirming. She’d woken among maids, working. Her role was quiet, so her silence didn’t raise suspicion. “We headed upstairs. At the fifth floor, I heard the library was robbed by two thieves. Since we were a pair, they assumed we were them...” Si Zhaohua looked helpless. Though they had ulterior motives, they hadn’t acted yet. Taking the blame was frustrating. Lan Subing was equally miffed. They’d run for ages to escape, despite doing nothing. Who knew if the real thieves took something vital? They were scapegoats while the culprits roamed free. “Don’t know who they were? We planned to catch them to clear our names,” Si Zhaohua said. Though their faces weren’t seen, they hoped to nab the thieves. “No need for that,” Su Bei realized. “The thieves are probably Jiang Tianming and Ai Baozhu.” At this point, who else could pop up as thieves? His words stunned them. “Them? Guess they had the same idea. No clue what they stole to make Burlington Earl so furious,” Si Zhaohua said, then added, “Burlington Earl owns this manor. By the way, you’re...?” “A beggar. I woke in a market, sensed something off, and snuck in,” Su Bei shrugged. “You all have manor-related roles, but I’m an unrelated beggar. I think this identity hides secrets.” Though he hadn’t seen Jiang Tianming or Ai Baozhu, their roles were surely tied to the manor, or they wouldn’t have quickly become “thieves.” “We can’t contact them...” Si Zhaohua paused, struck by an idea. “Should I fly up to find them?” Not him finding them, but them spotting him. A flying person was conspicuous, though people rarely looked up. Knowing a flying teammate was here, Jiang Tianming and Ai Baozhu would likely check the sky. “There are Ability Users here,” Lan Subing disagreed. “They caught a Knowledge Nightmare Beast, so they’re strong. If they spot you flying, it’s hard to explain.” Si Zhaohua had a plan, “My age here matches reality. Saying I just awakened my ability works, right?” “Fair enough,” Lan Subing conceded. She’d forgotten his noble status made awakening an ability a boon, not a curse. So, Si Zhaohua went to “fly a kite.” Su Bei and Lan Subing stayed, slacking. But Lan Subing, not one to idle, grew restless, thinking Jiang Tianming’s group was causing trouble, “I’ll check outside. It was dark—they didn’t see us clearly.” Without that, Si Zhaohua’s status would’ve led to formal accountability, not a chase. Su Bei wouldn’t stop the protagonists, waving, “Go. Don’t come back unless it’s trouble, and keep it far from me.” Lan Subing: “...” She left, and Su Bei thought he could rest. But soon, she rushed back, eyes gleaming, “Su Bei! Guess what I found?” “...What?” Su Bei had a bad feeling. Her excitement suggested a big scoop, likely tied to him, given her urgency. Her next words confirmed it, “Your identity’s a big deal!” Not a good deal, Su Bei asked cautiously, “So, who am I?” “The real young master of the Burlington family! It’s a true-false heir swap story!” Clearly a fan of such tales, she spoke confidently despite brief intel. “You were swapped by enemies and abandoned but survived. Recently, the Burlingtons hired a people-finding Ability User, learned you’re alive, and plastered the streets with your description on wanted posters.” Wanted posters? Su Bei hadn’t noticed, as his beggar role kept him from roaming openly. He’d dashed to his destination, ignoring surroundings. Uninvested in the book world, with an escape item, why care about the plot or breaking it? Learning he was the true heir, Su Bei had no urge to reunite. Staying here was fine. He was curious how the plot would unfold without the false heir. But his earlier guess—that the book was about the town’s destruction—might be wrong. How’d it become a true-false heir story? Was it a miscalculation, or a smokescreen? “Have you seen Maria’s group?” Su Bei asked suddenly. They were sucked into the book, likely the same one, but were they in the same story? “Not sure,” Lan Subing shook her head. Unfamiliar with them, she’d glanced from afar and might not recognize them up close. No need to save them. Su Bei hinted meaningfully, “This book world’s time node was chosen deliberately by the Nightmare Beast.” Lan Subing paused, not grasping his meaning. Seeing he wouldn’t elaborate, she closed her eyes to rest. He’d hinted to avoid a Nightmare Beast tide. Preventing it could earn him rewards. If it erupted, he’d leave the book world. As the comic’s heroine, Lan Subing was sharp. She soon grasped his meaning, paling. Indeed, the book world’s setting matched the Different Space’s city and era. Since the city became a Different Space, what was the book’s time node? Undoubtedly, to kill them all, it was set just before the Nightmare Beast invasion. What to do? How to escape? Unfamiliar with mirror worlds, she didn’t know how to break out. But she knew a beast tide could repeat history’s fate. Thankfully, last semester’s final exam wasn’t for nothing. Having survived a beast tide, she calmed after brief panic, knowing they had to stop it at the source before it began. The source? The Knowledge Nightmare Beast. It circled back to the start—they’d gone to the library to find the book Nightmare Beast, likely the Knowledge Nightmare Beast. “I get it. I’ll find that beast now,” Lan Subing said, seeing Su Bei’s closed eyes, and left without further words. After she left, Su Bei didn’t open his eyes. Her sudden return made him realize plans couldn’t keep up with changes. Who knew what’d happen next? Better rest while he could. As expected, trouble struck again—not in the book world but reality. A notification from his storage ring’s laptop made Su Bei’s eyes snap open. Few could message his Destiny leader identity—likely Black Flash. Alone, he opened the laptop. As expected, Black Flash had paid for the prior job and offered a new one about Alpha Ability Academy’s resource Different Space event. Targeting Alpha Ability Academy? Su Bei was surprised. Obsessed with Jiang Tianming’s group much? Their home-country schemes failed—could a last-minute foreign plot succeed? Refusing was out of the question. Su Bei agreed to discuss, receiving part of their plan. Knowing it was tricky in another’s Different Space, their request was simple: disable the clock tower’s surveillance. The “surveillance” was an ability product, letting outsiders view the Different Space via screens. Each area had one—a sticker resembling an eye, an ability creation. Su Bei had seen it in the clock tower, on the top floor’s ceiling. Normally, no one would remove it, and attempts were easily spotted and stopped. Crucially, Su Bei couldn’t do it himself—exposure would reveal his identity. A tough task. He needed a plausible way to remove the sticker without acting directly, using others or natural means. Hesitating, he couldn’t devise a solution quickly, but refusing after taking three tasks would raise suspicions. He decided to demand an outrageous price, “Not enough reward.” Their offer was substantial, matching the last task. Part went to Destiny, the rest to Su Bei, but only after leaving the Different Space, as it banned such items. This prevented cheating for resources and mischief with items. Su Bei approved of this rule. If Endless Ability Academy had it during the first monthly team battle, Black Flash wouldn’t have had an opening. Now, as the “mischievous” one, it wasn’t ideal. Without items, the task’s difficulty spiked, but he didn’t want to refuse outright. Demanding a high price could make them back off. After two rounds of haggling, they caught his hint and stopped raising the offer. Though he seemed to signal disinterest, not saying it outright was better. They were 90% sure he didn’t want it but 10% unsure if the price was too low. Done, Su Bei looked out the window. Si Zhaohua, supposed to be flying, was gone—either he found someone or was spotted. Stay in this room? Su Bei decided to leave. It had bad feng shui—he came to rest but got no peace, with trouble after trouble. Better switch rooms. If trouble came, they wouldn’t find him. Except for Manga Consciousness' world-saving tasks, he doubted the protagonists needed him. Using Mental Energy to avoid crowds, he switched rooms and finally rested. This book world wasn’t simple—outside noises were chaotic, hinting at protagonist antics. When Su Bei’s stomach growled, wanting food, the scene shattered, revealing the library. Su Bei raised an eyebrow, knowing Jiang Tianming’s group had resolved it. Standing, he admired the surreal scene while feeling sudden Mental Energy. It wasn’t just regular Mental Energy—something else was changing, making his mind clearer. A sharper mind made him consider: was this making him smarter? Possible. Knowledge Nightmare Beast rewards boosted comprehension, perfectly reasonable. Realizing this, Su Bei smiled. Staying wasn’t in vain—this reward exceeded expectations. Not just the intelligence boost, the Mental Energy increase was significant. For his current level, feeling a boost meant a large amount. The book world vanished, ten people crammed in the room. Jiang Tianming held the black book, bound by golden ropes—his [Immortal-Binding Rope] ability. Except for Su Bei, the others’ expressions varied, soon turning to excitement. “We’re out!” a girl cried joyfully, eyes red. “I thought we’d be trapped forever!” The boy who’d taunted Team B spoke truthfully, “Not really. Per Jiang Tianming, a Nightmare Beast tide was coming. We’d have died.” The first girl glared, then bowed to Jiang Tianming’s group, “Thank you so much! We wouldn’t have escaped without you!” Others thanked them too, their initial biases replaced by genuine gratitude. Jiang Tianming’s group politely demurred. After pleasantries, they looked at Su Bei. Si Zhaohua asked, puzzled, “Where’d you go? I couldn’t find you.” Su Bei answered honestly, “That room had bad feng shui. I switched to a better one.” Feng shui? Coming from him, they couldn’t disbelieve it. Si Zhaohua sighed helplessly, “You could’ve told us or left a note. We couldn’t find you.” Why do you think the room had bad feng shui? Su Bei smiled silently. Seeing his nonchalance, Ai Baozhu added, “We found a way for some to leave, but since it wasn’t everyone and we couldn’t find you, we stayed. What if next time there’s a full escape chance and you’re gone?” “I won’t be gone then,” Su Bei replied instantly. They paused. His words had two meanings: either he’d know they couldn’t all escape, or he had his own way out. Given his usual behavior, they quickly guessed the latter. Ai Baozhu asked, shocked, “You have a way to leave early?” “In a book world, tearing any book lets you exit,” Su Bei said, tilting his head mock-innocently, “Didn’t you know?” The group: “...” Forget knowing—where would they find a book? Ai Baozhu realized, “No wonder the library had no books. I thought they hadn’t built it yet. So that’s why!” “Why didn’t you leave?” Jiang Tianming asked, curious. Su Bei didn’t seem the type to stay and help, especially given his later actions. Su Bei’s lips curved. His initial choice to stay paid off. But he couldn’t say that, so he feigned righteousness, “What? You think I’d leave while you’re all here? Am I that kind of person?” Jiang Tianming wasn’t fooled, giving an awkward, polite smile, silence speaking volumes. Su Bei stopped embarrassing himself, coughing, “Since it’s resolved, let’s go.” He’d been ready to eat, and after that ordeal, he was starving. “Wait, deal with this Knowledge Nightmare Beast first,” Jiang Tianming said, holding the black book. Instead of acting, he looked up, “Teacher, how’s catching it count?” Knowledge Nightmare Beasts were precious, kept by Alpha Ability Academy to generate wealth. They couldn’t just eliminate it. If they could trade it for benefits, that’d be good. Sure enough, Joseph’s voice replied, “Put it back. We’ll give you five two skill books as compensation.” This confirmed the capture as the exchange students’ feat, others needn’t dream. The compensation was decent—Knowledge Nightmare Beasts were the school’s treasure, so any reward was generous. Their defense was strong, so even if caught, breaking it was tough. It's better to take the benefits. With no objections, Jiang Tianming asked, “What’s the quality and type of these skill books? Can we make requests?” As the only poor kid, he was a master at haggling. Two skill books sounded rich, but their value varied widely. A perfunctory offer might yield three to four million. With sincerity, tens of millions weren’t out of reach. Haggling could net more.